Introducing the Grape Browser and IndexAPI

ChatGrape is evolving at a pace where we see innovation shaping our product in ways we did not expect. Users are providing more feedback than ever, that we can act on. This shapes components that are becoming standalone products.

The product evolution process

The component within ChatGrape that our users praise the most is ChatGrape’s Deep Service “auto-complete”. As a key value proposition, we decided to bring focus to it as users were asking for more.

Over time, and as the auto-complete components were getting bigger, it was quickly becoming more than a pop-up: it is turning into a full-fledged search and data access point that gathers your data, facilitates your work-flows and increases communication efficiency. The component turned into a product. That is when naming and branding play a part. With such momentum and importance, we thought it best to give it a name.

It’s about recognizing a piece of code that matured to become something greater.

Introducing the Grape Browser

This is how we have decided to name the now former “auto-complete”. Two components in this name, here is where they come from:

– Grape: the Grape is our core brand. It represents our own identity, from the brand assets to Trauby and our own name. The grape is everywhere for us. It is derived from the vine grape, a symbol of many little grapes (dots of data) being connected into a network of information.

– Browser: this represents the core function of what the former “auto-complete” does. It literally lets you “Browse” your external data in the most efficient way.

Here are the reasons why we think the Grape Browser deserves its name:

You can “browse” everything: there is a UI that represents distant information. Gathers it. Visually represents it for you.

It will bring you additional functionality to “browse” not only external SaaS services, so you will “browse” for even more content;

It is now capable of using Natural Language Processing techniques. It can find your calendar entries for tomorrow by simply typing “tomorrow”;

And this is only a sneak peek of what the Grape Browser not only does today, but will be able to do tomorrow.

Yet, the Grape Browser would not be what it is today without another key component; less visible but nonetheless vital.

IndexAPI

The IndexAPI has been the major focus for our Back-End development team at ChatGrape. It started off with a simple indexation API that is turning into a platform on which developers can plug their data in. The naming here is also important:

– Index: the core function. This is what IndexAPI does. It creates indexes of objects coming from external services to make them reachable. This is the system that allows the Grape Browser to send links within the Chat, giving you access to all kinds of data one click away.

– API: because that is what IndexAPI is to the developer community. A way for developers to plug their services to ChatGrape. And an API that anyone can use when building their own SaaS product.

The Grape Browser today would not exist without the IndexAPI. They have become two products that are dependent upon each other. With the Grape Browser being an example of what you can build on top of an API.

By giving names and brands to those two products, we are showing how proud we are. It also helps internally to bring a sense of focus. Focusing on a product that has its own “identity” and that developers relate to.

Written by Felix Häusler

Felix loves product design, marketing and good coffee. He follows the tech scene closely, with a special focus on SaaS businesses and a guilty pleasure for space travel. He is always available for questions and feedback via @felix_hau on twitter.

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